Chapter 7 - Waking Up
When I walked back into Room 4, the morning sun was just beginning to peek through the hospital blinds. Elena’s eyes were open. She looked confused, disoriented, and terrified.
When she saw me standing in the doorway in my uniform, her breath caught.
“Marcus?” she whispered, her voice raspy and weak.
I rushed to the bedside, wrapping my arms gently around her, careful not to press on her bruised arms. “I’m here, baby. I’m here. I came home early.”
Tears spilled over her eyelashes, soaking into the hospital pillow. She buried her face into my chest, gripping my uniform jacket with desperate strength. “They locked me out, Marcus. It was so cold. I thought… I thought I was going to die on the patio.”
“I know,” I choked out, kissing the top of her head. “I saw the tape. I saw everything. They’re gone, Elena. They’re in jail.”
She looked up at me, her brown eyes wide with shock. “Jail? But your mother… she’ll ruin us. She’ll kick us out of the house.”
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“She can’t,” I smiled softly, wiping away her tears. “The house belongs to you. My dad left everything in a trust for us. She has nothing. They can never hurt you again, Elena. The war is over.”
For the first time in three years, I saw a genuine, peaceful smile touch my wife's lips.
